Deck 12: Who Am I Species and Races

Question 1

What sort of fossil data would support the hypothesis of punctuated equilibrium?

A) fossils that look alike through many layers of sediment
B) fossils that look very different through many layers of sediment
C) fossils that look alike through layers of sediment, then a layer with many new fossils
D) a few layers of sediment with different fossils between layers of sediment without fossils

Answer 1

C

Question 2

True or false: A minimum of 100 years of isolation is required for two populations to accumulate enough differences to be considered different species.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Which shows the steps of speciation in the correct order?

A) evolutionary changes, geographic isolation, reproductive isolation
B) genetic incompatibility, geographic isolation, evolutionary changes
C) geographic isolation, evolutionary changes, reproductive isolation
D) reproductive isolation, genetic incompatibility, geographic isolation

Answer 3

C

Question 4

You wish to study interspecies mating. Which organisms would be the best mating pair to study?

A) a Great Dane and a poodle
B) a lion and a tiger
C) a green bell pepper plant and a red bell pepper plant
D) a striped tiger and an albino tiger

Question 5

A small founder population of turtles has established a population on an island with a varied and good habitat that contains ample food. There is very little competition between members. What effect would this low level of competition have on evolution?

A) The population will remain very stable in size, and it won't evolve much.
B) The population will grow in size but won't change much.
C) The population will grow in size, and many variants will coexist.
D) Genetic drift will eliminate most of the population.

Question 6

True or false: When speciation occurs, the result is usually a dramatic change in appearance in the new species.

Question 7

All of the bees in an area are eliminated by disease. This could lead to reproductive isolation of which of the following species in the area?

A) black cherry trees
B) red ants
C) white-footed mice
D) ostrich ferns

Question 8

Which situation occurs after the creation of a new allele?

A) The gene pool becomes more diverse.
B) The gene pool becomes less diverse.
C) The gene pool fragments into smaller groups.
D) Reproductive isolation always occurs in the group where the mutation occurred.

Question 9

Which situation is an example of behavioral isolation?

A) A species of daisy only blooms when nights become longer than nine hours.
B) The offspring of horses and donkeys are sterile.
C) The pollen of roses isn't recognized by the eggs of morning glories.
D) Female spiders only mate when a male of the same species taps her web in a particular way.

Question 10

How does polyploidy cause reproductive isolation?

A) It changes the timing of reproduction.
B) It changes instructions for how to make reproductive anatomy.
C) It alters the number of chromosomes in sex cells.
D) It changes the prey preference of the organism.

Question 11

What is suggested by the hypothesis of punctuated equilibrium?

A) There's been no change in life on Earth.
B) There's been gradual and steady change in life on Earth.
C) There have been short periods of dramatic evolutionary change separated by long periods of no change.
D) Life on Earth changes dramatically most of the time, but there are short periods when there's no change.

Question 12

Apple maggot flies appear to be two separate races. What makes these races different?

A) They look different.
B) They eat different foods.
C) They have different allele frequencies.
D) They mate at different times.

Question 13

What causes the reproductive isolation that can lead to speciation?

A) Members of one group don't want to mate with other groups.
B) Members of one group are unable to make fertile offspring with other groups.
C) A group is extinct.
D) Some members of a group are sterile.

Question 14

What situation results from a postfertilization barrier to reproduction?

A) mutations in genes that control development
B) offspring that fail to develop
C) mechanical isolation of a species
D) gamete incompatibility

Question 15

What produces gene flow?

A) mating between populations
B) geographical isolation
C) mutation
D) speciation

Question 16

One species of plant produces flowers when nights are 10 hours long. A related species comes into flower when nights are 9 hours long. What type of reproductive isolation would include this example?

A) gamete incompatibility
B) temporal isolation
C) mechanical isolation
D) behavioral isolation

Question 17

Fruit flies all look more or less alike. If you have a male and female fruit fly, how could you test the hypothesis that they're the same species?

A) Determine the sequence of several of their genes.
B) Examine them closely under a microscope, and compare what you see to a published description of fruit flies.
C) See if they'll mate when they're put together.
D) See if they mate and if their offspring can also mate.

Question 18

What prevents mules from having offspring?

A) They don't develop sex organs.
B) They are all males.
C) They can't produce eggs and sperm.
D) Each mule produced is a different species from other mules.

Question 19

Which of these most accurately describes a single population?

A) all the oak trees in a park
B) two coneflower plants in a field of coneflowers
C) all the housecats in Montana
D) all the gulls in North America

Question 20

When geographic isolation occurs, under what conditions might you expect the most rapid speciation?

A) when there is similarity in the food supply in both locations
B) when the climate is very different in the two locations
C) when the species has a long generation time
D) when one of the two groups becomes extinct

Question 21

True or false: A genealogical species definition includes fewer organisms than a biological species definition.

Question 22

Genealogical species are groups that have diverged from a common ancestor but aren't yet reproductively ________.

Question 23

The eggs released by sponges during reproduction have proteins on their surfaces that prevent sperm from different sponge species from binding to the eggs. What type of reproductive isolation would include this example?

A) gamete compatibility
B) hybrid inviability
C) mechanical reproductive isolation
D) behavioral reproductive isolation

Question 24

California tarweed seeds were able to reach the Hawaiian Islands, and a new species emerged from this isolated population. What concept applies to this example?

A) the founder effect
B) hybridization
C) punctuated equilibrium
D) polyploidy

Question 25

Which scenario best describes the terms "subspecies" and "race"?

A) a population of rabbits that lives near a lake and sometimes breeds with rabbits farther inland
B) two populations of birds that have different amounts of orange coloration and could produce offspring if they were not separated by a mountain range
C) two populations of frogs that cannot produce offspring
D) a breed of dog with a longhaired coat instead of a shorthaired coat

Question 26

What type of reproductive isolation would include closely related species of orchids that never mate in the wild because they bloom at different times?

Question 27

A gene exists as two alleles in a population of freely mating individuals. If 40% of the population carries the recessive allele (a) for the gene, what percentage of the population has the homozygous recessive aa genotype?

A) 40%
B) 20%
C) 16%
D) 80%

Question 28

You read that two populations of hyena are different subspecies. How would these populations compare?

A) They could produce fertile offspring together.
B) One group would be much larger than the other group.
C) Their mating behavior would be quite different.
D) They would have different diets.

Question 29

About how long have modern humans existed?

A) 25,000 years
B) 250,000 years
C) 2,500,000 years
D) 25,000,000 years

Question 30

How are human fossils classified into species?

A) by differences in DNA
B) by differences in diet
C) by differences in skin color
D) by differences in the skeleton

Question 31

What is found when alleles among different human groups are analyzed?

A) There are no race-specific alleles and no consistent patterns of allele frequencies within racial groups.
B) There are a few race-specific alleles but no consistent patterns of allele frequencies within racial groups.
C) There are many race-specific alleles and several consistent patterns of allele frequencies within racial groups.
D) There are no race-specific alleles but several consistent patterns of allele frequencies within racial groups.

Question 32

Which example describes mechanical reproductive isolation?

A) Two squirrel populations live on either side of a mountain range.
B) Two fly species have differently shaped genitals that prevent interspecies mating.
C) Two similar species of sunflowers bloom at different times of the year.
D) Individuals from two wildcat species produce infertile offspring when they mate.

Question 33

You're studying two species of frog. How would you know if gradualism or punctuated equilibrium played a role in the formation of the two species from their common ancestor?

A) The species would have more differences if speciation occurred gradually.
B) The species would have more differences if speciation occurred suddenly.
C) The species would be the same regardless of how the speciation occurred.
D) The degree of difference depends less on the mechanism of speciation than on the time that's passed since speciation occurred.

Question 34

True or false: Reproductive isolation is the only requirement for speciation.

Question 35

Which question relates to population genetics and could be answered using the Hardy-Weinberg equation?

A) What will be the frequency of a particular genotype in a future generation?
B) What is the probability that members of two groups will mate?
C) Is an allele dominant or recessive?
D) What is the genetic basis of racial categories?

Question 36

True or false: Fossil evidence shows that all modern human populations evolved from human ancestors in Africa.

Question 37

Where can you find the most genetically diverse populations of humans?

A) Europe
B) Central America
C) Africa
D) Pacific Islands

Question 38

What concept is illustrated by the figure above?

A) gradualism
B) hybridization
C) punctualism
D) polyploidy

Question 39

True or false: When a founder population has a small gene pool, evolutionary change is more likely to be rapid than if the founder population has a large gene pool.

Question 40

What results after a speciation event?

A) Two species have evolved that are each different from the original species.
B) One new species evolves, while the original species stays the same.
C) One new species evolves, while the original species may stay the same or evolve into something different.
D) One new species evolves, while the original species goes extinct.

Question 41

What effect do assortative matings have on populations?

A) They cause one sex to be much different than the other.
B) They cause isolated groups to be more similar to each other.
C) They increase the rate of mutations.
D) They maintain appearance differences between groups.

Question 42

True or false: Levels of ultraviolet light influence both folate and vitamin D production in humans.

Question 43

You observe several populations of a species of wildflower in your county. Even though the climate is nearly identical in all three places, each population has distinct traits. What's the most likely cause of change when habitat is similar?

A) a chance event in each population as the original population spread
B) founder effect in each population as the original population spread
C) sexual selection acting on each population
D) independent mutations arising in each population

Question 44

What results when traits are acted on by sexual selection?

A) The traits increase fertility.
B) The traits occur mostly in females.
C) The traits sometimes appear to have no relation to fitness.
D) The traits occur in plants but not in animals.

Question 45

What information would scientists use to calculate allele frequencies in a human population?

A) the Hardy-Weinberg theorem
B) DNA technology
C) physical characteristics of fossils
D) Punnett squares

Question 46

In order to support the hypothesis that two groups are different races, how often would unique alleles appear in one of the groups?

A) in one individual in the population
B) in one family line of the population
C) in a significant number of members in the population
D) in all the members on the population

Question 47

In what type of population would evolution occur most rapidly?

A) a large population with a large gene pool
B) a small population with a relatively diverse gene pool
C) a small population with a small gene pool
D) a large population with a relatively limited gene pool

Question 48

On Long Island, New York, a population of wall lizards that originated from a group in Italy is present. Several had been imported to be sold as pets many decades ago, and some escaped and started a new population in this suburban area. What concept applies to this situation?

A) genetic drift
B) the founder effect
C) a population bottleneck
D) gene flow

Question 49

What is evolution that occurs as a result of chance events?

A) sexual selection
B) genetic drift
C) gene flow
D) population bottleneck

Question 50

What is the evolutionary origin of light skin in humans?

A) Light skin evolved several times in response to high ultraviolet light levels.
B) Light skin evolved several times in response to low ultraviolet light levels.
C) Light skin evolved several times in areas where there was no malaria.
D) Light skin evolved as an adaptation that decreased folate levels in humans.

Question 51

Why would a scientist use DNA fingerprinting to answer a question about human migration?

A) to determine what race a person belongs to
B) to determine the paternity of an individual
C) to determine the frequency of a particular allele in different populations
D) to determine whether a recessive allele gave an advantage in a particular environment

Question 52

True or false: Two populations that have adapted to similar environmental conditions sometimes have a similar appearance.

Question 53

True or false: Traits like reduced body hair in many native North American and Asian populations are most likely the result of sexual selection.

Question 54

You're interested in the genetics of earlobe shape on your campus. Free (unattached) earlobes are caused by a dominant allele. The attached earlobe phenotype is caused by a recessive allele. Individuals with free earlobes have either a homozygous genotype or a heterozygous genotype. Assuming that your college campus is a stable population, what calculation would you use to determine the percentage of students who have a heterozygous genotype for earlobe shape?

A) Calculate the percentage of people who have free earlobes.
B) Calculate the percentage of people who are homozygous-dominant for free earlobes.
C) Calculate the percentage of people who have attached earlobes.
D) Calculate the percentage of people who carry the recessive allele.

Question 55

Which individuals have the greatest fitness in an area where malaria is common?

A) individuals of any genotype who become infected with malaria before the age of five
B) individuals homozygous for the sickle cell anemia allele
C) individuals homozygous for the normal globin allele
D) individuals heterozygous for the normal and sickle cell anemia alleles

Question 56

You read that the frequency of a particular disease-associated recessive allele in a population is 12%. What does that mean?

A) 12% of the population has the disease caused by that allele.
B) 12% of the population is a carrier for that disease.
C) For every 100 people, there are 12 copies of the allele.
D) The allele is present in 12% of the cells in your body.

Question 57

What trait in humans is correlated with the humidity in the air to which the group is adapted?

Question 58

Many lines of evidence suggest that human populations aren't distinct races. Why are we so similar even though adaptations to local conditions have occurred?

A) Members of different populations mate with each other.
B) Natural selection has acted in the same way for all groups of humans.
C) Populations mate assortatively.
D) Sexual selection has acted in the same way for all groups.

Question 59

What is evolution that occurs as a result of a dramatic reduction in population size?

A) founder effect
B) genetic drift
C) gene flow
D) population bottleneck

Question 60

What species concept is used by paleontologists as they compare the physical characteristics of fossils to understand human evolution?

Question 61

In a population where most of the individuals have long, narrow noses, a child is born with a short, broad nose. What's the most likely evolutionary explanation for this variation?

A) Both parents of this child are from another population.
B) Humidity in the area is increasing, and selection pressure is changing.
C) The child reflects the normal variation around the average type.
D) A mutation must have occurred to produce a new allele of the nose shape gene.

Question 62

How does the distribution shown on the map of alleles for the B blood type support the hypothesis that there are no biological races of humans?

A) All human groups show the same frequency of this allele.
B) A distinct frequency pattern of this allele is found in each human group.
C) A gradient of frequency of the allele is found from its origin in Asia outward to Europe.
D) There's no pattern with respect to frequency of this allele throughout Asia and Europe.

Question 63

Why might traits such as skin color be fairly consistent within a racial group, but alleles for skin color aren't consistent?

A) There's no relationship between alleles and skin color.
B) Skin color is influenced by many genes, so several different gene pools can produce the same skin color.
C) Only one gene is important in skin color, and when analysis is limited to that gene, there's clear evidence of a long separation of groups.
D) Few allele variations between groups are just what you would expect if races were genealogical species.

Question 64

What results in populations that change due to genetic drift?

A) They haven't really undergone evolutionary change.
B) They will then be subject to strong sexual selection.
C) They have evolved.
D) They will soon change back to the original form as a result of natural selection.

Question 65

Alleles for other genetic diseases also provide protection against malaria when only one copy of the allele is present. In what cell type would you expect these genes to be active?

A) liver cells
B) skin cells
C) red blood cells
D) lung cells

Question 66

In order to be acted on by sexual selection, what is required of a trait?

A) It must be something that influences mate choice by the opposite sex.
B) It must be something that increases survival.
C) It must be a male trait.
D) It must be a trait that increases fertility.

Question 67

Which of these traits are explained by convergent evolution?

A) sickle-cell anemia in areas where malaria is common
B) light skin color in many northern populations
C) short stature in natives from the island of Puka Puka
D) red hair among people of Irish descent

Question 68

What causes the existence of superficial differences among groups of humans?

A) temporal isolation
B) geographic isolation
C) genetic incompatibility
D) behavioral isolation

Question 69

How would two unrelated individuals with the same color skin compare?

A) They would have similar alleles for melanin production.
B) They would have similar alleles for repetitive DNA segments.
C) They would have similar alleles for nose shape.
D) They would be no more likely to have similar alleles for any gene than any two random individuals.

Question 70

The figure shows that sickle cell allele is not common in every region that malaria is present. Why are there differences in the presence of sickle cell alleles in these locations?

A) The sickle-cell allele only protects against some forms of malaria.
B) The sickle-cell allele is adaptive in only some races but not others.
C) The sickle-cell allele appeared by chance in certain populations and increased in frequency in those populations after it appeared.
D) The areas where sickle-cell and malaria overlap represent migration from the original population where sickle-cell arose.